The field of this invention relates to faucets and more particularly to faucets with an adjustable delivery spout and a single operating lever.
Faucets with swivel spouts may easily confuse a user for determining which direction to move the operating lever in order to adjust flow rate of water and to adjust temperature mix. Indeed, in the use of normal faucets equipped with delivery spouts fixed on the faucet body, the user usually orients himself and moves the lever relative to the delivery spout, which is usually directed forward to the user and extending over the working basin or sink. The user is thus led to follow the same criterion with a faucet equipped with an adjustable delivery spout. In this case the user obtains a completely different result when the orientation of the delivery spout is substantially moved in relation to the body of the faucet. The user must orient himself with a forward direction which under certain circumstances may be difficult to precisely observe. The user no longer orients himself with the spout because the mixing cartridge or mixing valve is traditionally installed in a recess or cavity in the fixed body of the faucet. As a result, the position of the operating lever to obtain delivery of a required flow rate of water mixed to a desired temperature must be in reference to a fixed direction with the fixed body. This direction is easily observable when the spout is in a centered forward position. However, when the spout is moved, the direction is less clear to the user. Furthermore, the position of the lever has no relation to the actual orientation of the delivery spout that is adjustable in relation to the fixed body of the valve.
The inconvenience of orienting with the fixed body and not the spout becomes particularly pronounced when the operating lever is of the type commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cjoystickxe2x80x9d type. In a joystick type faucet, the lever is subject to movement in a first direction to regulate the flow rate from a full flow condition down to a shut-off position and in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction to regulate the mixing ratio or temperature mix. The shut-off position is singular, i.e. the faucet is shut off only when the lever is moved to a central position over the fixed delivery spout. When the spout is adjusted to a position other than a central position, the user may experience difficulty in shutting off the flow, or may think he has shut off the flow while in fact this has not happened completely and the faucet will drip. This situation occurs more commonly when the spout is only slightly rotating from its central position, and a person assumes that the spout is centered and moves the lever to align with the spout.
What is needed is therefore to resolve the problem explained above so that the user of a faucet with an adjustable spout can correctly orient the lever to correctly adjust flow rate and temperature and be assured that the faucet is completely shut off. This assurance should be equally ascertained for all rotated directions of the adjustable spout.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the recess or cavity for installation of the mixing cartridge on the faucet is in a component of the faucet mounted for rotation with the delivery spout, that in turn is adjustable in relation to the fixed body of the faucet. Because of this feature, the cartridge valve installed in the faucet rotates together with the delivery spout. When the orientation of the spout in relation to the fixed body of the faucet is altered, the orientation for correct movement of the operating lever also rotates correspondingly. The user can then operate the lever by adopting the same criteria he is accustomed to adopt in operating faucets with fixed delivery spouts, and this is translated into greater ease of operation.
Preferably the orientation of the mixing cartridge is pre-determined by a recess in the same component of the faucet which integrally forms its adjustable spout.
Preferably the faucet employs a mixing cartridge of the open type, offering lateral delivery openings, and the component in which the orientation for the mixing cartridge is pre-determined offers a peripheral area into which the delivery openings of the mixing cartridge open and which communicate directly with an internal passage of the delivery spout.
Preferably, for the purpose of ensuring proper supply to the mixing cartridge in any position of the delivery spout of the valve, the component in which the orientation of the mixing cartridge is predetermined offers a two-way rotating hydraulic coupling in relation to the fixed body of the faucet that in turn is connected to the supply pipes. Preferably this rotating hydraulic coupling involves a central passage connected to one of the supply pipes and a peripheral chamber at least partially ring-shaped, connected to the other supply pipe.